· Cosmetic giant fined for recruitment campaign
· First big French firm to be convicted of racial bias

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
Saturday July 7, 2007
The Guardian

Part of the cosmetics giant L'Oréal was yesterday found guilty of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoo.

In a landmark case, the Garnier division of the beauty empire, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 (£20,300) each after they recruited women on the basis of race. The historic ruling - the first time a major company has been found guilty of systematic race discrimination in France - saw a senior figure at the agency given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

The French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics firm, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They sought young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers.

In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L'Oréal stipulated women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (UK size 10-14) and "BBR", the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag. Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.

The above doesn't surprise me, as we know it happens, it's just rarely proven.

L'Oréal doesn't have any Black Hair Care Products, do they?

So why should they be catering to us?

We need our own. We need to wear our own natural hair, and quit trying to have those long flowing locks that they show in their commercials. I've seen that Fructis commercial, and could clearly see who they were targeting ... white women, and Black women that want to look white. I even saw a commercial recently, i don't know who's product it was, but the white chicks were just shaking their hair! Just shaking their heads back and forth, like white women's hair moves. It was almost like ... don't you want your hair to do this too?! I believe the commercial ended with one of the chicks in a neck brace, from shaking her hair so much. If i see it again, i'll come back and post the product.

Oh well, i guess it's good they got caught ... but it just tells all the other places that discriminate against us, not to make the same mistake (getting caught).

What L'Oréal products do you use? Hmmm ... i wonder what they all are.

Destee

if i must babysit adults ... they will feel abused by the babysitter ... i already know it ... i am psychic ... <3

· Cosmetic giant fined for recruitment campaign
· First big French firm to be convicted of racial bias

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
Saturday July 7, 2007
The Guardian

Part of the cosmetics giant L'Oréal was yesterday found guilty of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoo.

In a landmark case, the Garnier division of the beauty empire, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 (£20,300) each after they recruited women on the basis of race. The historic ruling - the first time a major company has been found guilty of systematic race discrimination in France - saw a senior figure at the agency given a three-month suspended prison sentence.

The French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics firm, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They sought young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers.

In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L'Oréal stipulated women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (UK size 10-14) and "BBR", the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag. Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean "white" French people and not those of north African, African and Asian backgrounds.

The above doesn't surprise me, as we know it happens, it's just rarely proven.

L'Oréal doesn't have any Black Hair Care Products, do they?

So why should they be catering to us?

We need our own. We need to wear our own natural hair, and quit trying to have those long flowing locks that they show in their commercials. I've seen that Fructis commercial, and could clearly see who they were targeting ... white women, and Black women that want to look white. I even saw a commercial recently, i don't know who's product it was, but the white chicks were just shaking their hair! Just shaking their heads back and forth, like white women's hair moves. It was almost like ... don't you want your hair to do this too?! I believe the commercial ended with one of the chicks in a neck brace, from shaking her hair so much. If i see it again, i'll come back and post the product.

Oh well, i guess it's good they got caught ... but it just tells all the other places that discriminate against us, not to make the same mistake (getting caught).

What L'Oréal products do you use? Hmmm ... i wonder what they all are.

Destee

Click to expand...

haaaaa,in a neck brace from shaking her head,excuse the laughter but that's funny,but on a serious note sadly that's where some of us are still wanting to be like[ol massa].

soft sheen-carson is their "ethnic" line. I've used Mizani relaxers and rose water, redken all soft or something and definitely some maybelline newyork lipstick; and I definitely won't be buying anymore.

I know this is old, but I heard about this story just recently. I agree, we don't need their products, we don't need any products made from them because we're fully capable of making our own.

My goal when I leave college is to start a natural products for natural African body & hair store and line. I'm not going to be creating products for anyone else but African/black men and women, so I won't buy from anyone other than African/black people. I mean, who's going to know our hair, body, and skin better than ourselves?

I went to that soft sheen-carson website and all the women had relaxed hair. I don't want my hair to be relaxed and straight. I want my hair to spiral because our galaxy spirals. I want my skin to be dark because the universe is dark. I don't want to be artificial because nothing created by nature and God is artificial. I know I may be bias, but I am the true image of God (no intended blasphemy here) and I do not want to be anything less.